President Barack Obama holds hands with daughters Malia and Sasha while they walk with friends at Sea Life Park on December 27, 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Obama spent the afternoon at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve before visiting the marine wildlife park.

Photo: Kent Nishimura, Getty Images

President Barack Obama holds hands with daughters Malia and Sasha...

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In this image obtained January 3, 2012 and released by The White House, January 1, 2013 shows US President Barack Obama as he celebrates the New Year swimming in the ocean in his native state of Hawaii, on his annual Christmas vacation with family and friends, at Pyramid Rock Beach in Kaneohe Bay.

Photo: PETE SOUZA, AFP/Getty Images

In this image obtained January 3, 2012 and released by The White...

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President Barack Obama enjoys a cup of shaved ice from Island Snow January 3, 2013 in Kailua, Hawaii.

Photo: Afp

President Barack Obama enjoys a cup of shaved ice from Island Snow...

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President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama make their way to board Air Force One on January 5, 2013 upon departure from Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama make their way to board...

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President Barack Obama walks with family and friends after viewing a gallery featuring his mother's anthropological work at the East-West Center on Jan 1, 2012 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Photo: Kent Nishimura-Pool, Getty Images

President Barack Obama walks with family and friends after viewing...

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President Barack Obama delivers remarks while First Lady Michelle Obama listens as they visited military personnel eating Christmas Dinner at Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on December 25, 2012 in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Photo: Pool, Getty Images

President Barack Obama delivers remarks while First Lady Michelle...

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President Barack Obama's motorcade passes a decorated Christmas tree at Marine Corps Base Hawaii December 24, 2011 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Obama was playing golf with friends.

Photo: Cory Lum-Pool, Getty Images

President Barack Obama's motorcade passes a decorated Christmas...

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(L-R) First Lady Michelle Obama, daughter Sasha, US President Barack Obama, and daughter Malia make their way to the chapel for Christmas service at Marine Corps Base Hawaii December 25, 2011.

Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

(L-R) First Lady Michelle Obama, daughter Sasha, US President...

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Security forces guard a canal as President Barack Obama's motorcade returns to his his vacation compound December 26, 2011 in Kailua, Hawaii.

Photo: Kent Nishimura-Pool, Getty Images

Security forces guard a canal as President Barack Obama's motorcade...

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President Barack Obama waves at the media while holding hands with his daughter, Sasha, as they walk with friends at Sea Life Park on December 27, 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Obama spent the afternoon at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve before visiting the marine wildlife park.

Photo: Kent Nishimura, Getty Images

President Barack Obama waves at the media while holding hands with...

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Malia (L) and Sasha (R) Obama board Air Force One on January 5, 2013 upon departure from Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

Malia (L) and Sasha (R) Obama board Air Force One on January 5,...

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President Barack Obama walks to his motorcade after greeting well wishers outside of Island Snow on January 3, 2013 in Kailua, Hawaii.

Photo: Pool, Getty Images

President Barack Obama walks to his motorcade after greeting well...

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A sign written in Hawaiian and reading "Welcome Obama family" is seen along a canal near President Barack Obama's vacation rental compound in Kailua, Hawaii, December 30, 2011.

Photo: Kent Nishimura, AFP/Getty Images

A sign written in Hawaiian and reading "Welcome Obama family" is...

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A cliffside perch affords a view of the waves crashing onto Shipwrecks Beach (Keoneloa in Hawaiian), where expert body surfers and boogie boarders come to play. President Obama, who grew up bodysurfing in the treacherous waters of Sandy Beach, could presumably hold his own here.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

A cliffside perch affords a view of the waves crashing onto...

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Although Christmas brings holiday crowds to Poipu Beach, it still makes an appealing option for snorkeling in calm weather and a lovely backdrop for rainbows after a winter storm.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

Although Christmas brings holiday crowds to Poipu Beach, it still...

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Peter Merriman, a co-founder of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Movement like Alana Wong, President Obama's favorite Honolulu-based chef, operates the upscale Merriman's Fish House and the Merriman's Gourmet Pizzas and Burgers downstairs in the Shops at Kukuiula on Kauai.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

Peter Merriman, a co-founder of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine...

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The Obamas have spent a lot of time on Oahu's beautiful Windward Side, but have yet to explore Kauai's breathtaking vistas, such as the Kalalau Valley Overlook in Kokee State Park.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

The Obamas have spent a lot of time on Oahu's beautiful Windward...

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The apapane, a bright-red honeycreeper endemic to Hawaii, is rarely seen on Oahu, but thousands live in the forested uplands of Kauai, where they feed off the nectar of ohia lehua blossoms.

Photo: Mat Muenstermann

The apapane, a bright-red honeycreeper endemic to Hawaii, is rarely...

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The First Family has stayed in private houses in Kailua for their recent Christmas vacations in Hawaii, but a switch to Kauai's exclusive Kukuiula Resort would mean a world-class spa and golf course were close at hand.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

The First Family has stayed in private houses in Kailua for their...

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Island Snow in Kailua has been President Obama's go-to snack stop on Oahu, but Uncle's Shave Ice in the Shops at Kukuiula would prove a worthy alternative.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / SFGate

Island Snow in Kailua has been President Obama's go-to snack stop...

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The endangered Hawaiian monk seal, most of whose surviving population of 1,100 lives in the remote Northwest Hawaiian Islands, can be seen more frequently on Kauai beaches than on Oahu.

When it comes to Christmas vacations, there's no place like home for the holidays — particularly if your home is Hawaii and Air Force One will fly you there with no baggage fees. President Barack Obama, his wife and daughters are expected to return to his birthplace on Friday, December 20 for a two-week break of sun, sand and shave ice, their sixth annual Yuletide in the islands.

For the neighbors of their exquisitely expansive rental home in Kailua, though, this means another two weeks of security checkpoints and restricted access, as some have grumbled to the press. For political bloggers, it's another two weeks of who spent more time and money on vacation, George W. Bush or his successor. (I'll let you guess which side the Tea Party comes down on.)

So maybe it's time to disrupt the routine — and I don't mean by having the president fly home early to address a budget crisis, as happened last year. What if the First Family were to make their first visit to Kauai? These options may not cost taxpayers any less, but they could at least goose sales tax revenues on the Garden Island, and provide a nice change of pace for the White House staff who get stashed in Waikiki.

The compound: If Kailua residents are tired of sharing their picturesque canal and white-sand beach with the First Family, the Obamas could consider an ocean-view estate in Kukuiula, the exclusive though ungated vacation home community on Kauai’s South Shore.

Local treats: Sasha and Malia Obama might enjoy browsing the boutiques at the adjacent Shops at Kukuiula, while mom Michelle could ensure they ate healthily with a trip to to the Whole Foods-like Living Foods Market & Cafe. They’d be remiss, though, if they didn’t stop in at Uncle’s Shave Ice, a worthy alternative to Obama’s Kailua treat shop, Island Snow; Uncle’s even has shave snow, a fluffy ice cream version.

Fine eats: On Oahu, the adult Obamas are fond of Hawaii Regional Cuisine co-founder Alan Wong’s self-titled restaurant. The Shops at Kukuiula would allow them to sample the wares of two other HRC co-founders: Jean-Marie Josselin, whose Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill is a stylish local favorite, and Peter Merriman, whose 25-year-old restaurant empire includes Merriman’s Fish House and its casual downstairs counterpart, Merriman's Gourmet Pizza & Burgers

Staying putt: Since Obama likes to hit the links on his Oahu visits, Tom Weiskopf’s 18-hole golf course at Kukuiula would be a must, but the Secret Service wouldn’t have to use a lot of gas to get him to nearby Poipu Bay and Kiahuna golf courses. He could also give a nod to fellow Punahou alum and former AOL mogul Steve Case by playing a round at Puakea, an 18-hole course in Lihue owned by Case’s Grove Farm company.

Hitting the sand: Renowned for his skill at Oahu’s expert bodysurfing beach known as Sandy’s, Obama should have the chops to tackle the equally strong breakers at Shipwrecks (Keoneloa) and Brennecke’s beaches near Kukuiula. For some well-secured white sand, the family can head west to Barking Sands on the Pacific Missile Range Facility, which offers limited civilian access.

Animal instincts: Kauai also has no equivalent to the Honolulu Zoo or Sea Life Park, where the First Father has taken his two daughters, or Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve, where the whole family likes to snorkel (on a Tuesday, when it’s normally closed to the public.) But that just means Hawaii’s oldest major island has delightfully lower-key attractions for experiencing indigenous wildlife. Closest to Kukuiula, Poipu and Lawai beaches offer the best winter snorkeling, though holiday crowds may be lighter at Salt Pond Beach Park, a short drive west, and all have seen increased appearances by endangered Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles in recent years. Spotting rare native birds near the lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Reserve or from the dramatic Kalalau Valley Overlook in Kokee State Park is another highlight.

Family ties: There’s no gravesite of ʻohana to visit here, unlike Oahu, which has the final resting place of Obama’s grandfather Stanley Dunham at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (a/k/a Punchbowl). But Obama’s half-sister and Maya Soetoro-Ng, whom he visits on Oahu, paid a trip to Kauai last month, with a reading from her new children’s book “Ladder to the Moon” that benefited Yoga on Kauai’s “mindfulness practices for Native Hawaiian youth.” According to the Garden Island newspaper, Soetoro-Ng loves the “slow pace, diversity and canyons of the Garden Isle.”

So if the president really wants to relax on his next Christmas vacation, perhaps he should decamp from Kailua and consider Kauai.